Scamwatch warns Australians as reports of myGov scams rise

Australians have been warned to watch out for text messages from scammers claiming to be from Services Australia.

Scamwatch warned it had seen a sharp increase in reported cases of scammers targeting those with myGov accounts.

In the texts, the scammer claims changes have been made to the individual’s security information on their account.

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“You may have recently got a text message to advise you’ve made a change to your myGov account,” Services Australia warned.

“The scam text message asks you to click a link if the myGov activity was not made by you.

“It may tell you that your information is being transferred securely. This is a trick to gain your trust and get you to click on the link.”

Services Australia advised Australians should only ever log into their myGov account by searching my.gov.au into a trusted web browser, and should never click on links or web forms within an email or text message.

Meanwhile, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission told 7NEWS.com.au Scamwatch is aware of phishing scams referencing myGov.

“There are many variations with most requiring people to click a link and log on to a fake webpage to harvest credentials and personal identifying information,” a spokesperson said.

The total financial losses from phishing scams in Australia in 2022 was a huge $24.6 million, the watchdog warned.

“Phishing scams were the most common scam reported to Scamwatch in 2022 with 74,573 phishing scam reports received,” the spokesperson added.

ACCC advice

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has a list of guidelines to help people protect themselves from text phishing scams. It recommends the following:

• Do not click on any links or open attachments from texts claiming to be from your bank or another trusted organisation and asking you to update or verify your details – just press delete;
• Do an internet search for any references to a similar scam;
• Look for the secure symbol on the website to know if it’s secure;
• Never provide your personal, credit card or online account details if you receive a call claiming to be from your bank or any other organisation. Instead, call your bank to check;
• If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately; and
• Report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page to help spread the word.